• During the 2015-16 school year, there were 29 total
ASD schools, with 27 in Memphis and 2 in Nashville.
iZones
• Also passed through the First to the Top legislation
in 2010, Innovation Zones (iZones) are a district-led
turnaround strategy designed to provide greater
autonomy and resources to failing schools in the
hopes of recruiting and retaining high-quality teachers.
• iZones were established to have similar flexibilities
to the ASD in order to create local and sustainable
capacity to engage in meaningful turnaround of
priority schools.
• In order to establish an iZone a school district
must develop a plan for monitoring, overseeing
and improving priority schools within the LEA that
is approved by the TDOE and must establish an
innovation zone office headed by an iZone leader.
• iZones have currently been established in Metro
Nashville Public Schools, Shelby County Schools,
Hamilton County Schools, and Knox County Schools.
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